Wayward Creatures

"As a story about community, healing, and family--both human and animal--this is one of the best."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review. In this heartfelt animal friendship story, a troubled young boy befriends a wayward coyote after a forest fire changes both of their lives. Perfect for fans of A Wolf Called Wander and Pax.

Winner of the 2023 Charlotte Huck Award

Twelve-year-old Gabe doesn't know where he belongs anymore. His family is caught up in their own lives and his friends barely have time for him now that they're stars on the soccer team. In a desperate plea for attention to impress his friends after school, Gabe sets off fireworks in the woods near his house and causes a small forest fire that destroys several acres of land.

In the chaos of the destruction, a coyote named Rill--tired of her family and longing for adventure--finds herself far from home. Already on animal control's watch for wandering into a backyard and snapping at a child, Rill crawls into a cave, where she nurses her wounds alone.

Gabe and Rill's paths irrevocably cross when Gabe is tasked with cleaning up the forest through the court's restorative justice program. The damage to the land and both their lives is beyond what the two can imagine. But together, they discover that sometimes it only takes one friend to find the place where you belong.

Author: Dayna Lorentz
Publisher: Clarion Books
Published: 01/18/2022
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.9lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.80w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9780358468288
Audience: Ages 9-12


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 11/15/2021
School Library Journal 01/01/2022 pg. 70
Booklist 01/01/2022 pg. 76

About the Author
Dayna Lorentz is the author of the Dogs of the Drowned City trilogy and the No Safety in Numbers trilogy. She has worked in and around the foster care system, most recently as a law clerk in the Vermont family courts, but she only just started exploring the sport of falconry. Dayna lives in Vermont with her husband and two children.